Building drought resilience by scaling out farming practices that will enhance the productive capacity of sandy soil landscapes
Summary
This project will enhance the drought resilience of farmers who manage 3 million hectares of sandy soils in the low-medium rainfall landscape of southeast Australia.
This will be achieved through the adoption of practices that enhance the productive capacity of sandy soils by overcoming constraints including water repellence & compacted layers that prevent root growth & access to moisture & nutrients.
Practices proven to work in small-scale trials will be scaled-out at 16 demonstration sites to build farmers’ confidence across an extensive landscape of the Eyre Peninsula, Upper Yorke Peninsula, Mallee & Southeast regions.
Case studies will be used to document outcomes from sites, with this information extended directly to 400 farmers through 17 events implemented by a consortium of grower groups. The project will also disseminate case studies using a digital extension hub & established social media networks to ensure maximum impact with farmers managing sandy soils across Australia.
Project partners:
The consortium is made up of 4 grower groups and a university:
- Ag Innovation & Research Eyre Peninsula (AIR EP)
- Mallee Sustainable Farming (MSF)
- MacKillop Farm Management Group (MFMG)
- Northern Sustainable Soils (NSS)
- University of South Australia
Delivery partners include:
- PIRSA
- GRDC
- CSIRO
- Frontier Farming Systems
- Trengove Consulting
- Soil Function Consulting
The project has been funded through the Future Drought Fund’s Drought Resilient Soils and Landscapes grants program and the Grains Research & Development Corporation, and is supported by the SA Drought Resilience and Adoption Hub.
Useful resources:
FACT SHEETS
A series of fact sheets have been produced in an earlier GRDC funded project: Increasing production on sandy soils in low and medium rainfall areas of the Southern Region, GRDC Project CSP00203.
Seeding sandy soils - Managing water repellence at seeding: moisture access strategies
Soil wetter - Managing water repellence at seeding: soil wetting agents
Inclusion ripping technology - Understanding passive inclusion ripping
Ripping technology - Technology considerations for cost-effective subsoil loosening
Check out the Sandy Soil App produced as part of the GRDC Sands Impact project, for all the trial results across all sites and regions.
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